The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Registered by BookBirds of Somewhere in the USA, -- Wild Released somewhere in USA -- USA on 10/4/2018
1 journaler for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by BookBirds from Somewhere in the USA, -- Wild Released somewhere in USA -- USA on Thursday, October 4, 2018
tbr
Journal Entry 2 by BookBirds at Somewhere in the USA, -- Wild Released somewhere in USA -- USA on Thursday, December 6, 2018
A novel loosely based on Leonora Carrington, after Sopinka was able to visit with her. I don't know much about Leonora Carrington but the descriptions of Ivory's art is most obvious like Leonora's. I don't usually like fiction based on real people, as the writer might take too many freedoms with a real person's story. But Ivory herself is an amazing character. She didn't need to be based on anyone else. Ivory will stay with you.
The writing is gorgeous, refreshing, brilliant with wonderful observations on almost every page. You can tell when a character and writer appreciate the small things, but to them, are the big things. I do love a well written book that can appreciate nature. The book bounces around through times of Ivory's life, from when she is older studying animal language, Paris with the Surrealist artists when she has escaped the convent her parents sent her to, her time at home when she is younger and her only time for herself is riding her horse around the grounds. A couple tragedies make her recreate her life and turn from art, so she turns to her original safety, nature. Her dictionary of animal languages is a "protest against forgetting." To be honest, I was a little skeptical of this book not being pretentious... I thought the writer owned a clothing company... for horses (she doesn't). But luckily, I was proved wrong. This book is so full of love, friendship, nature, art, war and HEART. Every sentence proves Heidi Sopinka is a WRITER and I will read anything she writes in the future.
Early on in the book, it was reminding me a bit of Jane Eyre, so I love seeing the writer herself mention the Bronte sisters. This book should be sandwiched between the Brontes and also the brilliant 'A Line Made By Walking' by Sara Baume for being so similarly about art and nature (and even for the chapters titled after animals), as well as China Mieville's 'The Last Days of New Paris' for being about the surrealist artists, or rather featuring their art in a very wacky way. Ivory would also get along very well with Patrica Westerford in 'The Overstory' by Richard Powers, if they both didn't love their solitude so much anyway. The book also reminded me of a Tarkovsky film... possibly Nostalghia. Like Tarkovsky, the plot here might be switching around all over the place, but it's all those lovely images and observations that matter.
The writing is gorgeous, refreshing, brilliant with wonderful observations on almost every page. You can tell when a character and writer appreciate the small things, but to them, are the big things. I do love a well written book that can appreciate nature. The book bounces around through times of Ivory's life, from when she is older studying animal language, Paris with the Surrealist artists when she has escaped the convent her parents sent her to, her time at home when she is younger and her only time for herself is riding her horse around the grounds. A couple tragedies make her recreate her life and turn from art, so she turns to her original safety, nature. Her dictionary of animal languages is a "protest against forgetting." To be honest, I was a little skeptical of this book not being pretentious... I thought the writer owned a clothing company... for horses (she doesn't). But luckily, I was proved wrong. This book is so full of love, friendship, nature, art, war and HEART. Every sentence proves Heidi Sopinka is a WRITER and I will read anything she writes in the future.
Early on in the book, it was reminding me a bit of Jane Eyre, so I love seeing the writer herself mention the Bronte sisters. This book should be sandwiched between the Brontes and also the brilliant 'A Line Made By Walking' by Sara Baume for being so similarly about art and nature (and even for the chapters titled after animals), as well as China Mieville's 'The Last Days of New Paris' for being about the surrealist artists, or rather featuring their art in a very wacky way. Ivory would also get along very well with Patrica Westerford in 'The Overstory' by Richard Powers, if they both didn't love their solitude so much anyway. The book also reminded me of a Tarkovsky film... possibly Nostalghia. Like Tarkovsky, the plot here might be switching around all over the place, but it's all those lovely images and observations that matter.
